Supportive mobile walking aids for disabled animals have been known in the art of veterinary medicine for many years. Many dogs and other household pets suffer from traumatic injury which causes an impairment or complete loss in use of their hind legs as a result of injury, illness, age, or obesity. Disabling medical conditions include inherited degenerative disorders, disc rupture and primary diseases of the nervous system. Unable to walk, romp about, or exercise, the animal often becomes lethargic, giving rise to additional health and care problems.
To address these concerns, many animal walking aids have been developed in the past. U.S. Pat. No. 7,549,398, issued to Mark Robinson et al, discloses a wheelchair for animals that is standardized yet adjustable. It further provides a wheelchair for animals that is adjustable in three dimensions, that is, height, width and length. This walking aid is unable to achieve a resting state by which a disabled animal is able to lie in a natural position.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,224,444, issued to Hill et al, discloses a walking aid for a four-legged animal. The walking aid includes a cradle attachable below the animal's hind quarters, and a support member pivotably attached to the cradle. A wheel arrangement is provided on the support member at its end remote from the cradle. Resiliency is provided for biasing the support member below the cradle. Due to the rotation of the wheels, the animal has to exert much force during a transition between a walking and collapsed condition.
There is a need, and it would be advantageous to have a walking aid for disabled four-legged animals that facilitates the natural lateral movement of the pelvis of the animal and that facilitates an easy and comfortable change from a walking state to a resting state and vice versa.